You Must Have A Library

James Dillet Freeman said it best, "You must have a library."

Click on the audio link to the right to hear him describe the evolution of Unity's Library. James Dillet talks about the evolution of the Unity Library. Note that he describes three stages: (1) before 1910 when it was just a room at 913 Tracy, (2) after Unity School was incorporated (1909-1911) when the library served the Editorial Department as a reference library and (3) after the residential school was established in the late 1940's when the library became an essential component for a ministerial school. Here's a transcript,

The Library was at 913 first. It was always there. Remember, there was a division. The society was really the original organization. When the temple claims to be the original organzation, they weren't really the originals. That was established long before the publishing. They became incorporate earlier, at least. But that was their library. And then the Unity school, wasn't incorporated until about 1909 or 1911 or sometime like that was the big building on the corner. They're having that thing down there. Have any of you been to see Greg's church? It hasn't changed, folks. It really is very much like it was.

But in the big building, they got a library that was just the editorial department's library. The editorial department was on the fourth floor of that building, clear back in the south corner. That was the editorial department. And all the editors were there in a big room, except Whitty, who's Daily Word was down with Silent Unity, his office. All the rest of them were up there. And then the studio that Rick had built for himself was along side of it, had a skylight, which had a north exposure, you know, and skylights, so he could go in there to go do his art. They turned that - he didn't use it. He came out here after he built the tower and lived out here - he never went to 9th and Tracy - he never showed-up there except once in a moon - but they changed that into the library. You see it was connected with the editorial department. It was the editorial department's library. When we built this building, the library was up where the director's room now is. Again, right under the Editorial Department, because the library was a function of the Editorial Department. And we had it there simply because an Editorial Department has to have access to reference books.

And then it was moved down where it was, that was much later, after we began to develop a residential school and all that sort of thing, and the AUC got into the picture, and we realized hey ... Well I brought a man out here from Drew when we were first starting the residential school. And he was the Executive Director of the American Association of Theological Schools. And the thing that he told me was that he told me, us, rather, was you must have a library. And the little seven thousand volumn library that we had for the Editorial Department was nothing that he would think of as a library for a school. So at that time we began to build the library that we now have, which is a pretty substantial library. That's why we built it, really. He said "that's the first requirement if you're going to have a ministerial school here."

It's fair to say that there wouldn't be much of TruthUnity without Unity Library and Archives. I try to visit the Unity Library and Archives at least once a year. I never know what I'll find there. Spirit leads. I'm up there now, writing this from my room. Loaded with my tape recorder, my video converter, my document scanner and my camera, I hope to go back to Austin on Saturday loaded up with a year's supply of stuff to keep everyone spiritually primed.

However there is one thing I can count on. That is the helpfulness and hospitality of the Unity Library and Archives staff - Eric, Linda, Judy, Margaret - and the many volunteers who freely give their time to keeping Unity's sacred treasures available to us.

So ... CLICK HERE and make a generous donation, in gratitude for all the Library and Archives and staff have done and in anticipation of the spiritual awakening they are establishing in our world.